


All That Glitters is Gold

by battle_goats



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Ignoct Secret Santa, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Photography
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-26 10:47:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17140376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battle_goats/pseuds/battle_goats
Summary: Noct just wants a few more pictures of him and Ignis together on this misbegotten road trip.





	All That Glitters is Gold

**Author's Note:**

> For minstrels-ink for the IgNoct Secret Santa on tumblr. Merry Christmas!

Honestly, Noct couldn't even claim he was really distracted.  After all, the wetlands of the Slough can only be interesting to look at while driving by only the first few times.

“Hey Noct, I've been taking pictures of whatever catches my eye, but what do you wanna see?” Prompto asked.  He was leaning over the back of his seat and grinning.

“Get more shots of Specs and me,” he answered.

“All righty, I'll see what I can do,” Prompto said with a salute.  Gladio snorted next to him but didn't look up from his book.

“What?” Noct asked.

“Subtle,” Gladio said with a shake of his head.  It was only then that Noct realized what he'd said to Prompto.

“Oh.”

Noct glanced at the back of the driver's seat and caught Ignis's eye in the rearview mirror.  He spotted the telling crinkle at the corner of his eyes that told him Ignis was smiling, and then he winked.  Noct felt his face heat with a blush and he turned to watch the scenery go by.

Ignis and Noct's relationship had been something of an open secret at the Citadel.  People knew about it, but no one openly spoke of it. It hadn't been all that shocking to those who knew them best.  After all, the line between friendship and duty had always been a blurred mess for them. Noct remembered being thirteen and shyly writing in the notebook he shared with Luna that he wished he could kiss Ignis.

He remembered being sixteen and watching Ignis work himself into the ground to keep up with his ever expanding duties.  Duties that only seemed to increase with Noct's age and his own reticence to his own responsibilities. The day Ignis's normally strong body finally give out from under him and the physician at the Citadel informing him and Ignis's uncle that he hadn't eaten in nearly two days.  That he was on the edge of developing an addiction to caffeine. 

Noctis had broken down, cried, yelled at Ignis, yelled at himself before finally kissing his oldest friend.

It had been something of a spectacle but Noct had forced down the instinct to feel embarrassed over it.  Those present had simply shaken their heads and seen themselves out of the room to give them some amount of privacy to talk.

Things had simply progressed from there.  And now, four years later they were on the road, headed for the Maidenwater to take care of a beast problem and check out rumors of a royal tomb.

“We will arrive just before sunset, I suggest we spend the night at the nearby haven, and then make for the Thicket in the morning,” Ignis said. “Does this sound agreeable to you, Noctis?”

“Yeah, sounds fine to me,” he answered.  He turned his attention to King's Knight to help pass the time.

 

Sure enough, there wasn't long until sundown when they pulled into a parking spot.  They quickly set up camp and Ignis took a moment to stretch after the long drive.ve.  He spent the next several minutes digging through the armiger to determine what he could make for dinner.

“Any objections to green curry soup?” he asked.  Prompto of course, cheered enthusiastically, while Noct and Gladio simply agreed to the meal.  Ignis set to work while the others finished setting up camp. Once that was done, Prompto and Gladio dragged Noct into playing more King’s Knight.  Ignis handed his phone off to Noct with a peck on the cheek. Noct happily took over playing the game on both devices so Ignis wouldn’t fall behind.

Dinner was delicious, as always, and Prompto readily volunteered to do the washing up.  The others sat and relaxed as the evening wore on, until they felt it was time to head to bed.  Noct happily curled up close to Ignis, and they made themselves comfortable on their bedrolls.

“Tomorrow, we tackle Malmalam Thicket, and with any luck, we will find a royal tomb within,” Ignis said.  Noct hummed and pressed his nose against the warmth of Ignis’s neck. Ignis pulled Noct a little closer and they all drifted off to sleep.  But not before they were all momentarily blinded by Prompto’s camera flash going off.

“Prompto, what the hell?!” Noct yelled as he sat up.  He blinked the spots from his eyes.

“Sorry, but you two just looked too cute not to take a picture,” he said.  Noct rolled his eyes and laid back down to get comfortable again.

“Go to sleep, Prom,” he grumbled.

“Kay, sorry again.”

The soft sounds of snuffling and sighing as the four made themselves comfortable filled the tent until they all drifted off to sleep.

 

The next morning found them waist deep in dense foliage and fog, with beasts lunging out at them from the murk.  After several very painful encounters with large bugs, they came across a haven, where they happily chose to sit and rest for lunch.

“Man, this place is crawling with nasties,” Noct grumbled between bites of his sandwich.  

“This place is off limits to hunters for a reason,” Ignis said.  He opened up a second can of Ebony and sipped it with a sigh. “Doubtless, even the most seasoned hunters would rather not come here.”

“So what’s that say about us, then?” Gladio huffed.  Noct finished his sandwich and handed the crusts off to Ignis.

“Really?  You don’t eat your crust?” Prompto asked with a laugh.  Noct shrugged.

“I don’t like the crust, and Iggy doesn’t make me eat it, cuz he likes it.”

“It is perhaps, the only thing I don’t try to make him eat,” Ignis said.  Prompto just shook his head as he finished his own sandwich.

“You guys wanna see the photos I've taken so far?” Prompto asked.  Noct nodded and took the camera from Prompto's hand. He leaned closer and scrolled through the pictures Prompto had captured.

A couple selfies, of course, and several solo shots of Noct and Ignis.  So far there were only a couple of the couple together. Most notably being the photo from inside the tent the night before.

“I can't believe you blinded us just for a picture,” Noct said.  Prompto only laughed. The last photo he'd taken had been a moment at the end of the battle.  Noct had been knocked off his feet, and Ignis had pulled him back up. His arm had shifted to loop around Noct's waist as they took a moment to breath each other in.  Even in the stillness of the photo, Noct could see Ignis's love shining behind his glasses.

It was an intimate moment, and one he didn't mind being captured on film.

“Send that one to me?” Ignis's soft voice rumbled in his ear.  Noct nodded and opened up the transfer option on the screen. A moment later, Ignis's phone pinged with an incoming text.  Noct took a moment to send it to himself as well.

They finished lunch and got a move on, scaling the slick rocks beside the waterfall with only a little difficulty.  A few more beasts were dispatched as they followed the trail until they could see bright sunshine up ahead. They cleared the tunnel-like path, only to be ambushed by a massive beast.

The four of them split up and drew their weapons.  Noct glanced over to where he'd gotten a glimpse of what was undoubtedly a royal tomb.

“Noct!”

He barely managed to get out of the way of a heavy foot about to come down on him.  Noct raised his sword and swung. The damage was minimal but between the four of them, it racked up quickly.  The beast’s death throes were short they all breathed a sigh of relief.

“Everyone okay?” Noct asked.  He received two affirmatives but nothing from Ignis.  There was a sound of glass shattering and he turned to see Ignis shattering a potion over his arm.  Noct approached and carefully placed a hand at the small of his back.

“Noct?”

“You okay?”

“Yes.  Nothing a potion can't cure,” he said.  Noct gently ran his bare hand over Ignis's forearm. He distantly thought of how good he looked in his purple coeurl print shirt.  He'd always looked good in suits, whether perfectly composed, or with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. Even if he did wear suspenders and a belt. “I'm fine, Noct.  Now go get your prize.”

Noct is loath to step away, but he does, pulling the tomb key from the armiger.  The heavy stone doors open and Noct steps inside. Like most of the royal arms, the Scepter of the Pious is ridiculous in size and too large to reasonably wield. He slipped the weapon into the armiger and sighed.  He stepped back outside to see the others waiting.

Ignis stood over by the cliff's edge, looking out over at Ravatogh in the distance.  Noct joined him and leaned into the comforting touch Ignis offered him. Their circumstances weren't ideal, but they had each other.

“Oh!  Oh! Guys, you want a photo with the volcano in the background?” Prompto asked.  His camera was already out. Noct smiled and nodded. Ignis pulled Noct closer and they smiled for the camera.  Prompto snapped the picture. “How about an awkward prom date pose?” Prompto suggested. 

Ignis laughed and shifted so that they faced each other.  His hands rested on Noct's waist, and Noct threaded his fingers together behind Ignis's neck.

“This prom enough for you?” Noct asked.  Prompto gave them a thumbs up from behind the viewfinder.  Noct turned to look at Ignis.

“You know, I've just had an idea,” he said.

“Oh?”

“So, Luna has the authority to officiate weddings.  I was thinking Altissia can still have that royal wedding it was planning on,” he said.

“Noct, are you proposing to me?”

“Yeah, I am.  I love you Ignis, and there's no council to give a shit who I marry.  And I never wanted a queen in Luna, I'd rather have you as my prince consort.”

“Yes, of course.”

Ignis dipped his head down and kissed him.  Noct sighed into the kiss as Ignis's grip on his waist slipped down to his hips.  They pulled away by the sound of a clicking shutter.

“Proposing without a ring, your highness?”

Noct grinned, “don't worry, I know a guy in Galdin Quay who does excellent work.”

Ignis smiled as he rested his forehead against Noct's. 

“Hey lovebirds!  We're losing daylight here!” Gladio called.  They jogged to catch up to Gladio and Prompto, still hand in hand, and with what were no doubt dopey smiles on their faces.

“What's up with you two?” Gladio asked. “Did Prince Charmless finally propose?”

“As a matter of fact, yes,” Ignis replied.  Prompto whooped for joy and Gladio clapped Noct on the back hard enough to make him stumble.

“It's about damn time.  Come on, we can crack open that wine we got from that produce vendor to celebrate.”

They left the thicket and returned to the haven near their parked Regalia.  Ignis sat beside Noct while Gladio opened up the wine.

“Ignis Lucis Caelum.  I quite like the sound of it,” Ignis said with a thoughtful hum.  Noct lacer their hands together.

“So do I.”


End file.
